


Strength and Courage

by Articray200



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Ionia - Freeform, Noxus, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 06:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16035137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Articray200/pseuds/Articray200
Summary: People don't change when they want to. They change when life tells them to.





	Strength and Courage

Kled pushed aside a branch and came to a river. In the few days he’d been in Ionia, he’d found himself once again lost in the scenery. Still, he was a bit unsettled considering his previous exchange with Yasuo. They had agreed that they tied in that battle and went their separate ways. There was a large part of him that worried he’d be ambushed by the warrior once more. His hand grasped his gun as he glanced over his shoulder. Silence. He was safe for now.

 The water in the river was amazingly clear—much like the water Nero was able to command. It held purity, life, and power. Power was something Kled often found the topic of many conversations in Noxus. People, no matter what part they were of Noxus, always sought for ways to reach the top and dominate. When it came to conquests on other regions, Kled simply fought for the thrill and challenge. Through battle, one could learn another’s strengths and weaknesses. It felt for every weakness Kled had, Yasuo had an answer. For every weakness Yasuo had, Kled could respond easily. He would never admit it to the Ionian’s face, but he had great respect for Yasuo. Kled stooped down and cupped some of the water in his hand, letting it drip between the fingers. Ice cold.

 “Kled!” a voice called.

 Kled almost reached for his gun, but he recognized the voice enough to calm himself. Besides, nobody here besides the people on the Noxian ship that brought them to Ionia knew his name. The man that had been following Kled was none other than Draven.

 “What’re you botherin’ me for _now_?” Kled sneered.

 Draven sighed. Kled was always a bit difficult to speak to if Nero wasn’t around to be a mediator. In fact, Draven was pretty lucky that the two of them got along at all considering their positions in Noxus. Kled, though he tried his best to be quiet about it, held obvious animosity when it came to discussions about Noxian politics.

 “... Actually, that can wait.” Draven scratched the back of his head. “Listen, I have to be real with you. You’re _way_ too paranoid and aggressive.”

 “Don’t think it’s hurtin’ anybody.” Kled shrugged. “Well, besides that time I came back with blade wounds, but that was easy to solve!”

 “You attacked a native Ionian, Kled…”

 “It was a friendly spar!”

 "Coming from you, it sounds more like a slaughterhouse forcefully stuffed inside of a yordle.”

 Kled’s face fell deadpan at that, and he grumbled to himself.

  _“Rantzit fricken schnautzer…”_

 Draven took a seat on a rock and let his arms rest on his legs.

 “Look, I understand you’re angry about what Swain did, but taking it out on the rest of us isn’t going to get you anywhere.” Draven shook his head. “Can’t you just forget about it?”

 Kled put a hand to his chin and turned to Draven. “Tell me something, kid. Do you _really_ think what Swain did to Noxus can be forgotten about that easily? You just listen to your brother and act as an executioner. I’m sure nothing Swain does affects you too much.

 “But for me, what he did is somethin’ I can’t ever forget. I remember when Noxus was a nation that founded itself on two core ideals: strength and courage. Pride was a secondary aspect, but I liked to make that a third for myself.”

 Draven interrupted him. “But what’s so different about Noxus today than Noxus back then?”

 “What’s so different?” Kled couldn’t help but laugh. “Kid, how young are ya? How naive are ya? All we needed back then was ourselves, but now we got all that magic shit goin’ on.”

 Kled paused, holding a hand out in defense. “Now, don’t get me wrong, magic is fine and all, but now everyone relies on it like they’re weak otherwise. Were they even strong in the first place?”

 Kled turned his back on Draven, looking back down to the river. Draven let his gaze wander up to the treetops. He could see a leaf break away from a branch and drift down to him. He opened his palm and let the leaf land in it.

 “Well, if you want my opinion, I think Noxus _has_ had a few roadblocks, but… it can be changed for the better,” Draven said, looking up to face Kled, “The fact that somebody as pathetic as myself managed to survive means that there’s still a chance. If you didn’t leave Noxus, maybe things would have been different-”

 “Swain and I are too different, Draven.” Kled sat in front of the river, watching the current.

 Just a few feet away was a waterfall. Leaves and small branches were being carried over the edge, and Kled could see a young, crumbling tree struggling to survive in the engulfing shade of another. Only a single branch was left. On that branch, one dry leaf. The yordle felt a faint sense of sadness watching it.

 “He gave me this scar when I rose up against him.” Kled’s eyes narrowed at the current. “I know you have your beliefs, but it’s not possible. Not now, anyways. The old Noxus is gone.

 “But… just so I understand a bit more, tell me about why you keep on believin’.”

 And Draven, he himself couldn’t think of a full answer. Not at that moment, anyways. He let his gaze travel down to the leaf in his hand. He closed his hand tightly, crushing the leaf and letting the wind carry it away.

 “Well, it’s mostly my brother, Darius.” Draven tilted his head. “Darius was there to handle things I couldn’t. Maybe the reason I had a lot of goals was because I wanted to prove I was just as good as him.

 “I’m sad that the only thing that made me realize he was just better is… being so far away from him. I don’t even know if he’s alive or not, but a part of me hopes he is. I’d give up everything—I’d even give up my name if it meant I could see him again.” Draven managed to give a half-smile. “He really was one of the biggest reasons people even gave a shit about me… or _started_ to. I’m starting to stand on my own now. It’s been hard, but I’m keeping up. I don’t need to be something amazing. I just need to… be who I actually am. I don’t think I’ve ever felt happier.”

 Silence. There was nothing but the sound of the waterfall and the gentle breeze moving through the trees of Ionia. Kled’s ears twitched, and he took his hat off his head, laying it by his side. The place felt empty without Skaarl’s happy chirps to fill the gaps in sound. Yet, there was a faint sense of enlightenment.

“You know, that’s the first thing that’s come out of your mouth that I can understand.” Kled laughed. “And it’s something I can agree with.”

 Kled closed his eyes. “I think it was my last major war—started here actually—when I realized that pride got in the way of Noxus’ core ideals. I’ve won every battle, every battle besides the war against Ionia. It was only when I realized I could die that I needed to change who I was.

 “I said that I don’t like relyin’ on magic, but it’s not because of what magic is. It’s because of what magic does to people. Magic makes people overconfident—that’s what it did to me. We had some powerful mages in our army, and I went into war with my head held high as always. I was laid flat on the ground, bleeding out.”

 Draven cut in once again. “I’ve heard about that war, but I never actually _participated_. Was it as bloody as they said?”

 “Yep, every part of it,” Kled confirmed, “When Skaarl saved my life, that’s when I confronted Swain,”

 And with that, he stood. “And years later, that’s when I met Nero. You’d think it’d be strange for a Noxian and an Ionian to get along, but we did after a while. It felt nice to be around one of my kin after years of no interaction besides a crazy lizard.

 “And now that I’m here in Ionia again… I want to fight for somethin’ new.”

 Kled put his hat back on his head, grasping his long axe tightly and standing proud.

 “If I can’t save Noxus, I’ll save Ionia.” Kled held out a hand to Draven. “I’m not fighting for pride, fame, or courage. I’m protecting Ionia’s core ideals: magic, and balance. And if that means I need to start using _my own_ magic…”

 The blade of Kled’s axe gave off a faint gold aura with his words. A fierce expression was in the Noxian’s eyes.

 “... then that’s fine by me.”

 Draven stood from the rock and looked down to Kled. The yordle still had his hand offered out to the man. Not even bothering to think twice, his heart told him to grasp Kled’s hand and join him. And so, he did.

 Today was a new age.


End file.
